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Sports enthusiasts know that Kadri recently signed a two-year deal worth $5.8 million with the Leafs. But in food circles, he’s the guy who just signed a two-year deal (value unknown) with Paramount to be its ambassador.

Kadri, born in London, Ont., to Lebanese parents, is Muslim. He shares that background with Lebanese-Canadian entrepreneur Mohamad Fakih, who now has six Paramount restaurants in Toronto, Thornhill, Mississauga, Hamilton and London, plus a gourmet halal butcher shop in Mississauga. Paramount will open two spots in Pearson International Airport next year.

Jorban, Paramount’s executive brand chef, designs the Middle Eastern menu and recipes. Today he stands back and lets Sbeit, chef at the chain’s flagship location on Crestlawn Dr. in Mississauga, cook with Kadri.

The men discuss what they must make in the next 45 minutes: garlic sauce, fattoush (salad with vegetables and pita croutons), shish tawouk (marinated chicken kebabs) and a Kadri Sandwich.

“I should probably take my watch off then, if we’re getting down and dirty,” says Kadri, who’s on a rare day off from the Leafs.

Garlic sauce (also known as toum) is made in a food processor from garlic, table salt, lemon juice and vegetable oil. But if you add the oil too quickly the sauce breaks and turns to liquid instead of becoming fluffy and snow white.

“Next time you play, eat a couple of spoons of garlic sauce,” suggests Sbeit, who has done improv with Second City. Garlic breath will surely send the rival team in the other direction.

“Is it safe to taste?” asks Kadri.

“Of course. Have it with a pita chip,” replies Sbeit, who was born in Iraq and raised in Lebanon.

“It’s pretty good,” declares Kadri. “This is used regularly throughout my house. I know my gramma is a big fan of it. It’s an important element in our food.”

Kadri’s large, tight-knit family includes a mother, grandmother and four sisters. So it’s no surprise to learn that they handled “every last part” of the cooking when he was growing up.

Did Kadri at least help with the dishes?

“That’s what a dishwasher is for,” he laughs.

Kadri now lives on his own. There might be some chicken and meat in his fridge that he can quickly grill, but most of his meals are catered or eaten in restaurants or at friends’ homes.

“You know what’s the best thing about being a chef?” asks Sbeit, who’s also 23. “Being organized.”

I ask Kadri what the best thing is about being a hockey player.

“The best thing? Salary,” he says cheekily. “No, I mean, there’s a lot of perks, especially with playing with the Maple Leafs. Everybody seems to appreciate you around the city. There’s a lot of fans. So it’s great.”

The chef takes a moment to show the hockey player how to sharpen a knife, saying it’s just as important to have evenly sharpened knives as it must be to have evenly sharpened skates.

“Okay,” nods Kadri. “I like that analogy.”

When it’s time to chop the chicken into kebabs, he asks: “Isn’t there a mesh glove you’re supposed to put on when you’re a beginner?”

He’s given disposable gloves.

The chicken is marinated in garlic sauce, yogurt, lemon juice, salt, two peppers and allspice. The chefs bring all the ingredients so Kadri can get the feel for making it, but they bring another batch that’s marinated and ready to cook.

“Is this brown sugar?” wonders Kadri, pointing to one of the spices.

“No, it’s allspice,” the chef politely replies.

At Paramount, shish tawouk comes with white rice or fries, lettuce, tomatoes, pickles (Middle Eastern, not North American) and warm pita. It also comes as a pita sandwich.

Now you can also get shish tawouk in the Kadri Sandwich, which features shredded lettuce, sliced tomatoes instead of pickles, garlic sauce and shredded accawi cheese. The Middle Eastern cheese (also spelled akkawi and akwai) is soft, white and mildly salty.

Those who buy a $7.43 Kadri Sandwich before the March Break get a chance to win a dinner for six with him. The sandwich will stay on the menu as long as it’s popular, and 10 per cent of sales will be donated to the SickKids Foundation.

The price may seem odd, but it pays tribute to the number 43 that’s on Kadri’s hockey jersey.

The clock is running out on today’s cooking lesson. Kadri slept in, then met “a few of the guys” at Chipotle restaurant for a double steak burrito bowl before coming to the Star shortly after 2 p.m. Next he’s meeting up with his aunt and uncle.

They were going to eat out, but Kadri jokes: “I’ll have to take them to my house and cook them up a meal or two since I’m learning so much.”

An ardent carnivore, he loves Morton’s the Steakhouse chain, as well as the Capital Grille in Pittsburgh. He also loves his mom’s lasagna and the Lebanese-style cabbage rolls (malfouf) that both his mom and grandmother make.

Paramount is blessed with a charcoal grill that gives its dishes a delicious smoky edge. For today’s cooking lesson at the Star test kitchen we make do with a non-stick grill pan and electric stove.

Kadri helps make a fattoush salad by assembling all the pre-cut vegetables, fried pita chips and chopped romaine in a bowl. Sbeit shows him how to toss the salad in the bowl like a chef.

“Look at that,” says Kadri, pleased with himself. “I could do that all day.”

“Your customer doesn’t want to wait all day,” Sbeit shoots back.

As his final task for today’s lesson, the chef shows Kadri how to assemble his namesake sandwich.

Kadri helped design the pita wrap.

“It’s very simple. It doesn’t really take much to please me,” he says. “My mom had a big say in it. She knows me better than I know myself.’

For garlic sauce, in a food processor, combine garlic and salt. Process until garlic is puréed, stopping to scrape down sides several times.

With motor running, slowly add oil in very thin stream and a little at a time. With each addition, make sure it emulsifies with garlic into a paste. In between oil additions, drizzle in a little lemon until well absorbed. This will take about 5 to 7 minutes and the end result will be a similar consistency to mayonnaise. (If you add oil and lemon too quickly, the paste will turn to liquid and won’t be usable.) Reserve 3/4 cup (185 mL) for this recipe and refrigerate remainder in covered container for another use.

You can cook chicken directly in a non-stick grill pan. Or thread pieces on metal or wood skewers and cook in pan or on barbecue. If using wood, soak in cold water at least 1 hour.

In batches in non-stick grill pan preheated to medium, cook chicken until cooked through, about 5 minutes per side. Place cooked chicken in small bowl or pot and cover to help them stay juicy until you’re ready to eat.

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